“Suddenly?”
Puti offered the all-purpose answer.
“Because Seoho-nim wanted it.”
At that, Rosetta, who hadn’t been hiding his displeasure, nodded slightly as if he had no choice. Puti carefully called out to him.
“Your Majesty.”
Rosetta turned to look at Puti with dry eyes. It was the same inorganic gaze as always, devoid of any emotion.
Even so, unlike usual, Puti didn’t feel that those eyes were truly emotionless. It was probably because of the conversation he’d had with Seoho before the meeting with Angel.
In truth, Puti had been deeply shocked by that conversation.
‘Our Majesty is truly someone with many wounds.’
That was exactly why Rosetta had never seemed human. His annoyance with people’s attention and his irritability were likely in the same vein.
‘Yes, our Majesty is a delicate person.’
Because he was so delicate and tender-hearted, wasn’t that why he had cried day and night, wanting to see his destined partner?
Puti looked at Rosetta with a heart full of pity.
Rosetta’s eyes were growing sharper and sharper, but Puti, who had become emotionally enriched, didn’t notice this at all and bowed his head deeply as he spoke.
“Seoho-nim is very curious about Your Majesty. I think he would be pleased if you told him directly.”
A spring breeze momentarily circled around the face that had been cold enough to issue an order to expel guests at any moment. His sharp eyes softened gently.
“Really?”
“Yes. So it would be better if Your Majesty left the education to others and simply spent pleasant time with Seoho-nim.”
“Every moment spent with Seoho is pleasant time, though…”
Puti comforted Rosetta, who was disappointed that his time with Seoho would decrease.
“Originally, relationships of teaching and learning aren’t particularly happy relationships.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, and it would be better if you showed a bit of restraint…”
“Restraint?”
Rosetta’s voice, which had been softening, hardened again, but Puti offered his advice without being intimidated.
“You can’t hide Seoho-nim forever.”
Normally he wouldn’t have made such presumptuous remarks, but after hearing Seoho’s words, he felt he understood how much significance Seoho held for Rosetta.
That’s why Puti truly hoped things would go well between Rosetta and Seoho.
And for their relationship to continue to go well in the future, Rosetta needed to show a bit of restraint. Puti continued with his head bowed.
“Seoho-nim said that since coming here was because of Your Majesty’s summons, his beginning in this place is Your Majesty.”
Puti decided to quote Seoho’s words appropriately. From the moment Seoho first brought it up, hadn’t he thought that Rosetta would really like hearing this?
“After all, aren’t first memories intense? Even if he meets other people, there won’t be anyone who leaves as strong an impression as Your Majesty.”
Puti carefully raised his head and observed Rosetta’s expression. Fortunately, Rosetta didn’t look too displeased. Puti added, recalling the records of the past that Angel had mentioned earlier.
“Do you remember what the Saintess said earlier?”
She had said that just because they were destined didn’t mean they had always gotten along. She had also mentioned that there were records of occasional conflicts between the two.
So Rosetta needed to be even more careful. He shouldn’t have had any expectations from the start that everything would work out well just because they were destined.
Puti remonstrated.
“It’s also good to let him be a bit free. I will always be with Seoho-nim.”
At Puti’s words, Rosetta looked down at him with crooked eyes.
“Trust you?”
Even at Rosetta’s tone full of suspicion, Puti didn’t take offense. It was ridiculous to ask him to trust him.
“It would be better to trust Seoho-nim rather than me.”
Puti continued while glancing at Seoho.
“He thinks about Your Majesty a great deal. In a good way.”
Puti, who had been looking at the sleeping Seoho’s face, turned back to Rosetta. A smile hung on Rosetta’s face as he looked at Seoho, just as Puti had been doing.
Though it disappeared as soon as he saw Puti.
“So it would be good to continue as you are now, but with a bit more leeway.”
After a moment of silence, Rosetta nodded slightly. Relieved by Rosetta’s affirmation, Puti was about to withdraw when he carefully spoke up.
“Um, Your Majesty.”
No matter how he thought about it, his conversation with Seoho weighed on his mind, making it awkward to leave things as they were.
At Puti’s call, Rosetta, who had been looking at Seoho in good spirits, raised one eyebrow as if annoyed and turned to Puti. Puti spoke toward Rosetta with abundant affection.
“Of course, the reason I and the common people first came to love Your Majesty was because you were bestowed with a great name and gained divine power, but now the people truly love Your Majesty.”
Expecting Rosetta to be moved, Puti opened his mouth with a kind smile spread across his face.
“Because Your Majesty is good to us commoners.”
“What?”
“So please don’t be hurt thinking that other people’s love is hollow and empty…”
“What are you talking about?”
Rosetta’s dry voice cut off Puti’s words. Puti looked at Rosetta blankly.
“Pardon?”
Rosetta clicked his tongue lightly.
“How tiresome. Puti, the reason I keep you by my side is partly because you’re perceptive, but.”
Puti swallowed his dry saliva as Rosetta looked down at him from above with languid eyes. Rosetta continued slowly.
“It’s because I know you love power, not me.”
The blue eyes that people praised as being like a beautiful lake were parched as if suffering from drought. Rosetta spoke sincerely.
“Don’t harbor deep feelings. It’s tiresome.”
While Puti blinked in surprise, unable to say anything, Rosetta casually waved his hand as if dismissing him and walked toward Seoho.
Puti blankly shifted his gaze, following Rosetta. The languid, parched, wax-like thing became human as it headed to Seoho’s side.
Rosetta looked at Seoho with sparkling eyes and whispered softly.
“My destiny. How can even your sleeping be so beautiful?”
Watching such a Rosetta, Puti quietly turned and left the room. After closing the door and getting far enough away from the room, Puti clicked his tongue.
‘I thought so.’
Lonely? Struggling with others’ false love?
There was no way Rosetta would be like that. Puti shook his head from side to side, cursing his own foolishness. He’d been swept up in Seoho’s atmosphere and thought something ridiculous.
Rosetta becoming human, being swayed by others’ emotions—that was only when it came to Seoho.
***
Something touched the tip of his toes.
‘Cold.’
That cold thing started at his toes and gradually moved upward. Only after the area of it touching his skin grew larger and larger did Seoho realize that what was touching his foot was a hand.
A large, cold someone’s hand. The hand that groped around as if searching for something wrapped around Seoho’s foot, then went down to gently caress his heel before sneakily moving upward.
The hand touching his ankle in circles was so cold it felt like his bones ached. It was a coldness that seemed to cut into his flesh. Even so, Seoho couldn’t move his body or open his eyes.
The hand that had been fiddling with his ankle for a while moved up and gripped his ankle.
The touch that had been cold and creepy but gentle instantly became forceful. He let out an involuntary cry. But Seoho’s scream couldn’t escape his mouth.
Because his body, his mouth, wouldn’t move.
The hand gripping his ankle tightly began to apply more and more force, and the hand grew even colder.
‘It feels like my ankle will come off.’
Seoho tried to struggle. But the more Seoho tried to move his body, the more the hand gripped his ankle tightly as if to twist it and wouldn’t let go.
And now it began to pull Seoho.
‘Pull?’
The hand… The hand that gripped Seoho’s ankle tightly began to pull Seoho downward. Seoho put strength in his feet to avoid being dragged.
When he put full strength all the way to his toes, finally his foot twitched.
Seoho then lifted his free foot and kicked hard at the hand that was holding his ankle.
He felt the impact. But the hand didn’t give up there and pulled Seoho’s ankle even more forcefully.
Once he started moving, the second time was easier. Seoho kicked repeatedly. Strangely, he had a strong feeling that he absolutely must not be dragged away. Though he’d never been this violent before, Seoho kicked downward madly like a crazy person.
Let go, he wouldn’t follow. He would stay here—the words that couldn’t come out echoed loudly inside Seoho’s body.
He would remain here, stay by his side.
‘His?’
Seoho was momentarily flustered. ‘His’? Who was ‘he’?
Just who was he trying to remain here for? Why was he so desperate?
Why was he using such violent methods to stay here?
When Seoho’s foot hesitated at the sudden question, the hand that had almost come off wrapped around Seoho’s ankle again.
The moment he felt that coldness, Seoho put strength in his foot again. He didn’t know why he wanted to remain, but he was certain that he didn’t want to be dragged away by that unidentifiable hand. Just as Seoho was about to kick out his foot, someone whispered in his ear.
[Will you remain?]
At that deep resonance, Seoho answered inwardly without time to think.
‘Yes.’
Then that voice seemed to ponder for a moment.
It was really ridiculous, but Seoho was convinced that the voice was someone who could repel the thing pulling at his ankle.
So Seoho spoke as if clinging.
‘I want to stay. I’ll remain here.’
Then the voice spoke as if it had no choice.
[That child wants you… He wouldn’t dislike sharing power with you. Dawn will help you.]
With those final words, a strange vitality circled his body. Following that resonance that started from his ears, some kind of power spread throughout his entire body.
Something sparkling and transparently shining.
His vision turned pure white and his body became light. Seoho lifted his foot. This time, he felt he could shake off that hand.
As what had been spreading through his body gathered in his foot, Seoho kicked out. With a great impact, the hand wrapped around his ankle finally came off.
And Seoho opened his eyes.
